Review: Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea

Hellboy sets sail from the wreckage of a deserted island only to cross paths with a ghost ship. Taken captive by the phantom crew that plans to sell him to the circus, Hellboy is dragged along by a captain who will stop at nothing in pursuit of a powerful sea creature.

Following the events of Hellboy: The Island, Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea is a story that can be enjoyed on its own or as part of the greater Hellboy mythology. The ability to enjoy various stories, either way, is something that stands out for writer Mike Mignola‘s world. Mignola writes this story along with Gary Gianni. Gianni also provides art.

Into the Silent Sea takes inspiration from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s classic poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner giving its own spin on to the story. Taking a somewhat poetic style the story has Hellboy brought aboard a cursed ship using some of the ideas of the classic poem to spin its own tale of horror and suspense.

While there’s some interesting things there as far as the comic’s use of the classic poem, the real draw is Gary Gianni’s art which is jaw-dropping in its style and detail. Gianni feels like he takes inspiration from Gustave Doré and his wood engraving, of which he has done some of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. That combination of art and story combine to create an experience that you just don’t find often in comics a poetic like story enhanced by an art style that itself is reminiscent of a classic style. It’s a unique experience that stands out from a crowded comic market. A visual and narrative experience that you just don’t get any more.

Beautiful and haunting is the best description of this story which is not only an entertaining read but whose art transcends everything. This is a comic that you’ll spend hours looking at every small detail Gianni includes within and appreciate that this is just something that comes once a year if we’re lucky.

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